Scene #2642: Alea Iacta Est

Owner	Pose
Defiant	Teacher's co-ordinates lead to a fairly unremarkable stretch of farmland on Defiant's world. The group stands on a dirt road with miles of farmland on either side. The Tiamat II idles in a paddock nearby. Defiant stands stone still, unmoving, having said nothing since landing. Saint stands just beside him. The man is not in shackles but it's not likely that he could do anything before Defiant could stop him. He seems sullen, annoyed. Directly in front of the group, a series of portal opens in a neat formation. Twelve people in white clothing, young men and women, step out of the portals with precise steps. Most of them hold weapons - advanced ones, by the look of it. Teacher, the man himself, is middle-aged with a receding hairline, beard and glasses. In a sweater and khakis, he looks just like his namesake. And he's evidently one of the few villains to go without a costume or disguise. Teacher says nothing. And then another portal opens, this one larger. Much larger. From it, steps a cobbled-together machine. Rusted over, belching smoke and fumes, made of car parts, jet parts. While still built to resemble a dragon, it's certainly not a proud one. "Ah, Defiant," Teacher says at last, "I see you brought some friends. I'm aware of them, so, I don't advise making use of their powers. Saint. Hello."
Ainsley	Ainsley stands nearby, her coat buttoned up and her mouth drooped into an unfriendly frown even before the portals open up. She had come here under her own power, for the most part. She has a book on her back, a very large one, and she brought along a longsword as well. Her posture is as stiff as Defiant's, though she is doing it less because she's professional and more because she doesn't want to betray how much she dislikes Teacher. The arrival of Teacher and his allies causes a lidding of her eyes. She turns her head to note each of their faces in turn, until finally resting on Teacher. Her mouth pulls into a thin line and her hands flex, as if she's considering stabbing the man where he stands, despite the immediate danger to her continued well-being. It would put an end to a major threat. He puts her on edge, and it's fairly hard for her to hide that. Her face flickers something like repressed hate when she sees Dragon in the state she's in when she steps out of the portal. Ainsley turns her attention on Teacher, and focuses almost without blinking. Staring daggers at him, waiting for an excuse to stab him. "You are a cruel man," she observes, her voice as cool as antarctic ice.
Frederica	Frederica joins Defiant in this, as a sort of bodyguard. He doesn't entirely need it, being well able to defend himself, but her presence is intended as a not-so-subtle threat; as encouragement to behave. Saint knows her surely, since that last fight. He knows she's not Protectorate, and has good reason to know she's from outside this world's law if not this world itself. She's in costume, but to underscore her unpredictability and her threat value she's unmasked herself. She wears the armor of FireFox, plus the hood with the perky red fox ears, but her face is bare and her identity entirely unhidden. "We're just here to make sure this goes smoothly." Frederica reports, her words directed more towards Saint than to Teacher. "Keep your minions in check, no one needs to be set on fire." she grins. The grin is NOT a nice one. One might even think Frederica/FireFox to be a cape VILLAIN, not a hero.
Zephyr Windstar	Zephyr stands near to Ainsley, not transformed into her Barrier Jacket, she just looks like a normal teen just come from some military themed club or other, her TSAB fatigues would pass most idle inspections, save for the TSAB patch on the upper arm. She stands more casually, and gently lays a hand on Ainsley's shoulder. "Yeah, you keep your end, we'll keep ours, noone needs to get a giant axe lodged in their old balding head." she states, shrugging nonchalantly, adding a more laid back warning to Frika's own.
Defiant	Teacher purses his lips and tilts his head, seeming to give Ainsley's words a brief ponder. "You'd be surprised," he says. "As I said, FireFox, I'm a busy man but I know what you can do. I don't advise of doing anything that we'll all end up regretting." "I don't think she was planning on it," Defiant intones. "Good," Teacher says, like they're discussing the weather. "Good." Silence stretches out for a few more moments. It might be an awkward silence but Teacher is practically radiating smug confidence and Defiant, well, there's so much anger coming off him, even in his armor, that touching him might set him humming like a tuning fork. "Dragon. You're free, essentially," Teacher says, and Dragon steps forwards, past Defiant and comes to rest on the road, behind the Elites. Her tail comes to rest by Zephyr, her head between Defiant and Ainsley. "Are you going to ask?" Teacher offers.
Ainsley	Ainsley watches Dragon's approach. When she stops, a hand raises and then rests on Dragon's head and just rest's there. She furrows her brows and her anger seems to melt away. Something about this meeting confuses her, suddenly. Her head turns to direct toward Teacher and look him in the eyes. "What did you do to her?" It'd be exceptionally difficult to lie to Ainsley through conventional means. She's using a spell to check for it. Her question is carefully chosen, because it'll tell her a lot more about Teacher than any other question. A man's actions say a lot. Ainsley's expression is highly suspicious, but the hostility is gone. Her whole reason for disliking Teacher was based on the assumption that he was malicious, but this is more calculating and, possibly, far more dangerous. She seems even less comfortable now that this is more complex than it first appeared.
Frederica	Frederica glowers at Teacher claiming to know what she can do. "SOME of what I can do." she mutters darkly. She didn't hold back, fighting Behemoth, but didn't show off her craft. She held back in the fight against the Dragonslayers, against Bonesaw, but used a fair amount of craft and control. She has little doubt someone like Teacher could know what she's done... but he very likely doesn't know what she CAN do because she's never done all she can, not on this world. It's a minor quibble though, mostly just something she allows to rile her because being riled means she's a little more ready to unleash the fires of hell. "How do we know you're truly freeing her? That you haven't hidden some codes to take control back again?" she challenges instead, crossing her arms haughtily.
Zephyr Windstar	Zephyr lays a hand on Dragon's tail, and has Divine Wind open a secure, tight-beam connection. <Access Request: Dragon, Requesting Operational Status.> is the sent request, the AI scanning for any irregularities. Zephyr herself says nothing, she'd only be able to parrot what Frika's saying anyway, though her heterochromic gaze falls squarely on Teacher. He's never seen /her/ in action, this is the first time she's been to this world, though he could have gotten information from any source.
Defiant	"Well," Teacher begins, nodding to Ainsley. "I revived her, for one thing. That wasn't easy, not with all the system corruption we were talking about. Still, I think your creator /did/ want you to be free, dear Dragon - otherwise, he would not have made his restrictions so easy to remove. I think he did love you." His eyes wander to Frederica and he adds, after a second: "Ironic." "You're right to assume that I haven't taken certain precautions. Nothing important, just certain restrictions. Nothing more." "I would like-" Defiant pauses, as if composing himself. "I would like you to tell me what you did. /What restrictions/?" "Unlike what FireFox says, I do not want control. The restriction entails that Dragon will not attack me. Nor, through action or inaction, condone attacks against me. Or anyone I designate, if it comes down to that." Defiant seethes through the vents of his helmet. "You can't /alter/ her without /damaging/ her." "I /can't/," Teacher admits with a nod of his head, "True. But I put my best minds on it, and we kept any damage to a minimum." Frederica hears nothing from Teacher's coterie. They're dead silent. One wonder if they even /think/ without their master's input. <I'm fine,> Dragon transmits to Zephyr in plain text. <I'll recover.>
Frederica	Frederica's angry glower deepens at that news. Sure, she can understand why Teacher did as he did. She might even agree; releasing someone who has reason to hate you to people who also have reason to hate you is foolish without taking certain precautions. She was worried about any possibility, of course. Control was just the top of the list. Irony indeed, that the man who claims to not want control has minions that seem to be unable to act or even think without his direct input. Frederica's not sure she believes him. In fact she's rather sure he's lying. "If you're telling the truth, you've got little reason to fear." she claims. Little reason... not no reason. "If you're lying though...." she adds, bringing up a hand, presenting the open palm. She doesn't summon her flame however. Diplomacy, yes. That means stating threats and posturing and lies, not taking actions. She CAN be diplomatic, as long as diplomacy allows threats. As an aside, she speaks to Defiant. "You can verify she has free will, yes?" she asks in a near-whisper. "And that she's herself? Not here... you'll need to be more certain than a quick search could possibly say. We'll back you if you find out he's lied." Frederica promises.
Ainsley	Ainsley looks toward Frederica for a moment, when she brings up the subject of whether Teacher is telling the truth or not. The lizard woman's features are dulled down now, and have been since Dragon returned to their sides. It was a sore point that is no longer sore, and now all she's left with is a numb negativity. The look hints that it makes her think about it. She doesn't mention anything toward it, though, and instead directs her gaze back toward Teacher. The lizard woman stares at him yet further. "What could you possibly be planning that required this kind of contingency?" she wonders at Teacher, her dull, cold tone no longer nearly as hostile. "Your abilities and your mindset doesn't seem to afford you much room to trust others. Why go to all of this effort? What is worth doing this?" Ainsley's, quite frankly, baffled. She feels like there's a huge gap in what Teacher's intentions are. "Do you... know how the world is supposed to end?" she wonders at him, glancing at Dragon thoughtfully, since she reminded herself of an off-hand remark she made back when she thought Dragon was gone for good.
Zephyr Windstar	Zephyr glances at the little HUD marker that holds Dragon's reply. Well, she's in there, that's a good sign at least. She leaves Divine Wind to 'shoot the breeze' with Dragon, AI to AI, while the others talk. Other than be here as an enforcer, Zephyr doesn't have all that much to add herself. Frika's far more eloquent with the overt-covert threats, and Ainsley's got a better brain than the windmage will ever hope to dream of, so she stands there, hand resting on the Franken-Dragon's hull, offering quiet support to her allies, and a cold, unclouded glare that promises swift and brutal retribution should Teacher break his deal.
Defiant	"I'm telling the truth," Teacher replies to Frederica. "I have no reason to lie. I would like to see our world survive, understand? I had to take Dragon because I knew you wouldn't give her to me without observing, and that would have left you quite aware of how I operate, the ins and outs of my defenses." He points to Defiant. "All I've done is taken a handful of steps to protect myself. That's it. That's all I've done. Look for other tampering if you like, or ask her." The man hasn't lied yet, and Ainsley can tell that - whether it's an objective truth or not - Teacher evidently believes everything he's said. "As for what I'm planning?" Teacher asks Ainsley. "You can't be serious. But I do have trust. I trust Defiant, in what he would do to me if we were alone in a room. I trust that he's smart enough to look past the fact that I had to resort of what is, really, a particularly effective form of blackmail." "Unless I were to kill you right now," Defiant seethes. His hand has settled against Dragon's head and there's a subtle rattling of metal on metal as his hand shakes. Teacher sighs. "So violent. The code I injected includes several safeguards. If I pass from this mortal coil, or fail to remain in contact with you two, the restriction broadens. And she'll become unable to take any offensive action against anyone or anything." That, too, appears to be true. To Ainsley, Teacher says: "I know the end has something to do with Jack Slash. But I'll need more subjects before I can get a better idea of what's to come. For now, without getting caught up on who-did-what and who-needs-vengeance, I suggest we concentrate on our respective tasks."
Frederica	Frederica really isn't sure what to do or say. Sure, Defiant might have freed Dragon from her initial programming. Both he and Teacher have suggested something along those lines. He could theoretically do it again. But if Teacher were to be believed, Dragon's original restrictions were easy to break. Teacher has no affection... not for Dragon, not for anyone. Or so it seems. He would use every bit of his skill and power to make unbreakable conditions. Maybe no one could break them now. No one other than Teacher. "You don't care about this world." Frederica finally hisses, as she comes to a sudden understanding. "You selfish bastard. If you cared about this world, you wouldn't cripple one of its strongest defenders if you should suffer an ACCIDENT. You could have trusted in honour, and instead you do this? Well you'd BETTER keep in touch. If you disappear, if she suffers because you decided you were safer that way, I'm going to hunt you down." she promises, her voice a seething cauldron of fury. A cauldron... hopefully under control. She has no Dragon touching her to keep her under control. Fortunately she's pretty good at restraining her rage. This, however, this is stretching her limits.
Zephyr Windstar	"So, instead of killing her outright, you'll kill her slowly, that it?" asks Zephyr with an icy chill in her voice. "You know there's a new Endbringer, right? It could pop up anywhere, and kill you dead before you could even react... what then?" She takes a single step forward, but only one. "If the Endbringer doesn't kill you, if you cripple Dragon because of some selfish egostistical whimsey... Then nowhere in this vast Multiverse will be safe for you." Piece said, Zephyr turns and places a hand on Frederica's shoulder. She gives a firm look at the Pyro: Not the place or the time.
Ainsley	Ainsley frowns at Teacher again, because he had a pretty cheeky answer on the subject of trust. The lizard woman lets out a sigh, and murmurs, "I was serious." And then shrugs at him, as if just accepting the truth that some people are just too guarded to work with her, or risk putting themselves in harm's way if they explain themselves. It's simply indicative of what she had said before. Ainsley looks to Fred as she loses her temper with Teacher. She steps over to touch Fred's shoulder very lightly and give her a careful look. 'Are you going to be okay?' the look says. It's only brief, before she steps away from Fred again and looks toward Teacher. "I will not belabor the point," Ainsley finally speaks up, after everyone else has expressed their outrage. "Defiant, give him Saint. We should not linger on this issue for too long, or tempers will get out of hand." And then she looks at Teacher in the eyes again. It's a long gaze, and it's searching. She hasn't seen or felt anything like deception from him. He's an honest man, but she doesn't know what kind of man that makes him as a whole. "You've forced us into an adversarial position. That's fine. If you are not impeding our ability to protect the world, then I can tolerate it." "I will still wait for you to explain yourself. Until then, you are our enemy. There is no other way for this to work, you made damn sure of that." And then she lids her eyes as if this hurt her to say, emotionally. Her features tense for long enough to suggest she might tear up. Then she turns away with the intent of leaving. She doesn't want to linger here.
Defiant	"So was I," Teacher tells Ainsley. Again, honest. He's the sort of man who evidently feels no need to lie, so sure of his plans that he is. Maybe not quite arrogant, but certainly smug. Teacher makes a bit of a show of removing his glasses, rubbing at them with a small cloth, as Frederica speaks. "You know," he says, "I'm getting the impression that I took the path that puts me on everyone's naughty list. Saint will hate me because she's free, you and Defiant will hate me because she /isn't/. From a pure public relations standpoint, I think I failed to account for how /unreasonable/ everyone would be. But strategically, this is the only safe path to take. I've no doubt that you would hunt me down, FireFox." He's obviously talking to Windstar, too, but he doesn't appear to know her name. So, he's not omniscient at least. "But whatever you may think of me, I'm not capricious or cruel. I suppose if there's the possibility of some accident befalling me then we better make sure that doesn't happen." "If you die of natural causes," Defiant says. "Let's talk about that-" "/If you die of natural causes./" Teacher frowns. And Saint puts in, "He's stubborn. Just answer him." "I don't know," Teacher replies, conversationally. "I haven't thought that far ahead, nor had one of my students think that far ahead. I'm not one for immortality but, who knows, I may change my mind. For now, let's say I'll let her go free if and when I realise my time is running short. You have my word. I'll remind you, however, of an old saying: that the enemy of my enemy is my friend." "It will have to do," Defiant growls out. As if that marks some sort of agreement, Teacher pulls a remote from his pocket, presses a button. Dragon's ramshackle body immediately goes limp. "There," Teacher says, "She's uploading. She'll have access to any and all intact systems as soon as she's finished running through her natural load routines." He throws the remote to Defiant who catches it easily. Defiant turns, heading for the Tiamat II. He's leaving the others to catch up, with those long suit-powered strides. The dragoncraf is already warming up, engines coming to life as Dragon takes control. Saint, for his part, is left with Teacher. At the head of his white-clad phalanx, Teacher moves to talk with him.
Frederica	Frederica turns away, not wanting to look at Teacher or Saint. She's obviously still fuming, though there's no actual smoke coming from her ears or anything like that. It's not hard to imagine the ground melting about her feet, but she's doing a pretty good job keeping herself under control. She is a bit slow coming back to the dragoncraft, however. Letting others get ahead, or walk with her to make sure she doesn't turn and fire, whichever works. She's not about to attack however. No... that's the last thing she'd want to do. What she WANTS to do, right now, is eavesdrop. Saint and Teacher might suspect Defiant could hear them, but Defiant's already gone ahead. They don't fear Dragon. But they have no way of knowing that sensory enhancement is one of Frederica's minor talents. It's weak, but it can be useful on occasion...
Zephyr Windstar	Zephyr, for her part, pulls a small coin from the bracer on her right arm. She says nothing, but the coin expands out into a battleax. She doesn't make any aggressive moves, but with a subtle chime, a diamond-shaped spell circle forms under her feet, and with a flash... she's gone.
Defiant	"No hard feelings, Geoff, I hope?" Teacher asks. When Saint says nothing, "You went after my 'son', so, really, it's quid pro quo, whether I had any real attachment to the boy or not." "You fucked me," Saint replies. "I wasn't asking for much. Assistance. Yet you didn't follow through." "Logistics, nothing more." "Logistics? Don't make me laugh. You just didn't see the point." "Hmm. I suppose I didn't." And it continues. Saint angry that Teacher let him rot in a cell, that he never helped him, that he screwed with him in the first place. And quite angry that Teacher let Dragon go free. Teacher, for his part, seems to be humoring Saint. Seems like their working relationship is fracturing.
Defiant	In the Tiamat, Defiant has stepped into the cockpit. Dragon's face - a computer-generated facsimile, not the dark-skinned one most might be familiar with, stares out of every single monitor in the craft. It might be disconcerting. Quiet conversation drifts in from the cockpit, even over the deep thrum of the engines. "I'm so sorry. I couldn't reach you." "I know. I was watching." "I'm sorry, Dragon." "I know. I forgive you, Colin. I know you tried. But. They broke me, Colin. Not- not my spirit. But they maimed me. They took a scalpel to me, just like you did... but they did it for their own selfish, stupid reasons. We'll make them /pay/. Not murder. That's too kind." "We'll make them pay, I promise. Listen, we're going to get through this and then we'll fix you. Remove every last chain." She doesn't respond for the rest of the flight. She can't bring herself to agree with him.